38 Sumi

Noah leaned against the black Mercedes and stared up at the sky anxiously. He didn't know when Lucas and Maya would be back, but he was hoping it wouldn't be too long and Maya would return safely. He had seen the way that his sister was ruined by Lucas; he didn't want Maya to end up the same way. It was much too pitiful.

He picked up his phone and sent Maya a message, "How's the ride going? Are you still safe?"

He then waited for her response. However, he had no idea that there was no phone signal in the canyon and Maya would not see his message until she was back. So, the longer he waited for a response, the more anxious he became.

While he was pacing back and forth holding onto his phone, he suddenly received a call. He jumped in surprise and looked at the phone. It was a call from Ryan...

Noah furrowed his brows in confusion. Why would Ryan call him? They worked on separate things for Lucas and barely crossed paths. In fact, Noah didn't really like him because he felt he was Lucas' accomplice.

Picking up his phone with curiosity, he answered, "Hello, Noah speaking."

On the other end, Ryan asked anxiously, "Are you with Lucas? I've been trying to call him but his phone is off!"

Noah could tell that Ryan had something urgent to tell Lucas, but there was nothing he could do. He glanced into the car and saw Lucas' phone sitting in the middle console, switched off. Lucas knew there would be no signal, so he didn't take his phone with him. "He's still on the helicopter with Delilah and he didn't bring his phone."

"Dammit!" Ryan cursed. He then sighed and said, "Tell him to call me immediately when he gets back."

Noah simply said, "Yes," and hung up the phone, but he did not feel concerned about Lucas at all. He had other things on his mind.

Meanwhile, Ryan disconnected his Bluetooth, parked his car in an underground parking lot, and stepped out with a frown. He then caught an elevator up to the third floor and walked out into the corridors of Sunset Hospital. As he approached the private VIP rooms, a nurse asked curiously, "Are you looking for someone?"

Ryan nodded his head, "Yes, I'm looking for Delilah Yeung. Where's room 308?"

...

Lucas looked at Maya and smiled. Since she didn't reject his invite, he assumed it meant she was free and could accompany him.

"I don't normally accept invites to events because I like to keep a low profile. Most people that know me, only know me as Lucas Lee, they don't know about my father and my family background. But this particular event actually sounded very meaningful. It's a charity ball and there will be an art auction. You know how much I love art. On top of that, the ball is a masquerade, so I can keep my identity completely a secret. I think you might enjoy it," Lucas explained.

Maya heard this and shook her head. As interesting as it sounded, she needed to go verify Lucas' story, put an end to all the misunderstandings, and discuss her next step with Delilah. If Lucas was really innocent, she was going to reveal her true identity to him, apologize to her sister, and return to LA. If he was lying, then she was going to teach him a good lesson.

"I don't think..."

Just as Maya started rejecting the man, Lucas cut in and added, "...L7 will be auctioning a painting at the ball too. One that's never been revealed before. Plus, all the proceeds will be going towards cancer research."

Maya's eyes lit up when she heard the name L7. Although she wasn't really Delilah and she didn't have the money to place any bids on the painting, she was excited to see what he had created. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see an unveiling of one of his exclusive works. How could she say no?

In the end, she couldn't resist. "OK, I'll go. What time does it start? I will need some time to get ready after we get back."

"I'll come to pick you up at 7pm. Will that be enough time?" Lucas offered.

Maya nodded her head. Hopefully, Delilah had something in her luggage that was appropriate.

...

The cafeteria at Sunset Hospital was newly renovated with plenty of seating and a little zen garden in the center.

As Dr. Brown led Sam to a table, Sam was quite surprised by how quickly the place calmed him down. "The hospital is a stressful place, so the hospital director specifically hired a designer to design this place for both the patients and the staff to relax. They also hired a really talented chef to manage the kitchen here," Dr. Brown explained.

Just as Dr. Brown was talking about the chef, a woman in her late 20's approached their table excitedly. "Dr. Brown," she smiled as she spoke with a slight accent.

"Speak of the devil," Dr. Brown said with a grin. "This is the chef I was talking about. She's originally from Korea, but she was trained in Japan, and she came here to work in Vegas."

The young woman had her hair tied neatly in a bun on top of her head. As she turned to look at Sam, her plump lips curved upwards slightly, "My name is Sumi, are you Dr. Brown's friend?" she asked in a cute Korean accent.

Sam smiled and also introduced himself, "My name is Sam. Dr. Brown is treating my friend." Like Delilah, he had a slightly British accent when he spoke and it was quite charming.

Sumi tilted her head with interest, "Where are you from? You don't sound American."

"Oh, I'm from Hong Kong," he replied.

The young woman's eyes lit up, "I love Hong Kong. They have really good food there! Someday, I would love to go."

Sam nodded his head, "You should. If you ever go, I can take you to some of the best restaurants."

Sumi smiled excitedly at the thought.

While she was daydreaming about Hong Kong, Dr. Brown suddenly cleared his throat. The two had gotten so carried away with their conversation, they had forgotten why they were in the cafeteria. Unlike the two of them, he had limited time to eat and return to work.

Sumi quickly snapped out of her daze and asked, "So what would the two of you like to eat today?"

Dr. Brown looked at the woman and said in a caring tone, "I would like the usual, but can you make my friend something that's good for a hangover? He hasn't been feeling well."

Sumi glanced at Sam. "You have a hangover?"

Sam sighed and nodded his head.

"I have the perfect dish for you. I'll be right back," she smiled.

As she walked away, Sam couldn't help but notice her curvy body and long legs. Now that he thought about it, her body looked very similar to Delilah's...